This invention relates to a cleaning apparatus especially designed to eliminate the toner adhering to the photoconductor of a xerographic printing apparatus by means of a fur brush.
In a conventional cleaning apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fur brush 2 contacting the surface of a photoconductor 1 is driven by a brush motor 3 to remove residual toner T remaining on the photoconductor 1. A housing 4 is disposed in such a manner as to surround the fur brush 2 with an adequate clearance. The residual toner T removed by the fur brush 2 is sucked in the air flow generated by a suction blower B, passing through the housing 4 to a suction chamber 5, and is transported to a reclaiming system R.
With such a cleaning apparatus, however, if the speed of the air flow along the inner wall surface of the housing 4 is not sufficient, some of the reclaimed residual toner tends to adhere to the inner surface of the housing 4 and accumulate therein. The accumulated toner gradually increases in thickness, and when the cleaning apparatus is vibrated, the toner is stripped from the inner surface of the housing 4 to fall down. As this toner cannot be drawn off by the suction air flow, it falls down on the surface of the photoconductor 1, which causes poor printing. Therefore, the conventional cleaning apparatus requires frequent cleaning of the interior of the housing 4 before the toner is so stripped, and costs a great deal for maintenance.